Lisa finally withdrew that sticky little "punishment" back into her high heel.
Then she shot Kaito a look—half scolding, half pleased.
"Big sister didn't come here to slack off today."
Kaito didn't believe her for a second. He stared at her like he was waiting for whatever excuse she'd prepared.
Lisa simply smiled, completely unbothered.
"It's almost dinner," she said. "Are you planning to entertain me with only this?"
She lightly tapped his foot with the toe of her shoe.
Kaito cleared his throat.
"I'll go change."
He returned to the loft above, washed up, and tried to steady himself.
Lisa had gone too far today.
She'd always enjoyed teasing—
but she hadn't pushed it to this extent before.
He changed clothes and came back down.
He didn't even ask what she wanted to eat.
He went straight to pick ingredients.
Lisa rested her chin in her palm, watching his back.
"Funny," she thought, a faint, self-mocking smile touching her lips.
"Always trying to push Jean forward…"
"And yet… in the end, I'm the one getting jealous."
…
Downstairs, Kaito selected ingredients.
Lisa came often for afternoon tea, but she rarely showed up for a full meal.
Still, he knew one thing: she liked vegetable soup.
On the continent, the most common one was a simple radish-and-vegetable soup—white radish, tomato, and mint.
Slightly sour, slightly sweet. An appetite opener.
Kaito didn't like that kind of plain soup.
The flavor was too thin.
The texture was… boring.
And since Lisa had "generously entertained" him today, he needed to return the favor with something that would actually satisfy her.
"Vegetable soup…"
Kaito scanned the produce.
Tomato was always the foundation.
So he picked tomatoes with bright, full color.
Then mushrooms—for enough umami to carry the soup.
With the quality Good Hunter had, he could grab almost any and it would do.
Then potatoes and carrots.
And finally, cabbage.
He carried a basket upstairs and began preparing.
Lisa's eyes brightened the moment she saw the ingredients.
Her interest rose immediately.
Then she noticed the bottle on the counter—like a seasoning vial—now missing a small portion of its contents.
"Kaito… that bottle was used?" Lisa asked, curiosity slipping into her tone.
It was a byproduct from some alchemy experiment she'd done on a whim.
Originally, it was meant for Jean—a way to forcibly knock her out and make her rest.
Later, after discovering Kaito's medicinal cooking, it had become unnecessary and left here.
"I used a bit against the Fatui," Kaito said casually. "When we hosted someone high up."
"Oh?" Lisa asked. "Did you get anything out of them?"
"I didn't dare," Kaito said. "Didn't find a Vision or a Delusion."
Lisa paused mid-page, a faint spark of danger flashing in her eyes.
"A Harbinger?"
Only one of the Fatui Harbingers would make Kaito say I didn't dare so casually.
Those eleven monsters—backed by the Tsaritsa's power—were never to be taken lightly.
"Lady," Kaito said.
He figured the Knights would hear soon anyway.
After Kaeya returned, the news would spread.
It wasn't that Lady herself had exposed her movements—
it was simply that Fatui underlings were useless. Once caught, they couldn't keep anything secret.
"Oh?"
Lisa's expression genuinely shifted this time.
"So even Lady has come to Mondstadt…"
Kaito hadn't told the Knights immediately—he had his reasons.
Lisa didn't pry.
She didn't even intend to mention it to anyone.
After all, she was only a librarian.
Why get tangled up in trouble?
Besides…
who didn't have a secret or two?
"And what is she like?" Lisa asked with a playful smile.
Kaito didn't even hesitate.
"Sharp. Dangerous. Not someone to underestimate."
"Mmhmm~"
Lisa was clearly satisfied.
By then, Kaito had already chopped the vegetables into fine pieces and divided them into two portions.
He added the smaller portion into a pot of clean water from Cider Lake and simmered it gently.
When the clear base broth developed, he tasted it to confirm the flavor.
Then he filtered it.
He poured the broth into a second pot, raised the flame, and added the larger portion of chopped vegetables in order—timing each ingredient precisely.
Slowly, steam rose.
A clean, faintly sour fragrance spread into the air.
Lisa only needed to breathe it in once—
and she felt her elemental flow smooth out, as if her whole body had been tuned.
She stood and walked over to watch.
She nearly lost her footing, caught herself, and continued watching without comment.
then she steadied, returning to her usual composure.
"Kaito," she asked softly, "is this a new dish?"
The soup was rich yet clear, simple yet refined.
The colors were distinct in the broth—tomato and carrot red, potato gold, mushroom pale, cabbage green.
"A kind of vegetable soup," Kaito said. "Go sit. It's not done yet."
Lisa shook her head.
She stayed by the stove, eyes glittering with fascination.
"I want to watch," she said.
"This is like elements converging into harmony… it's gorgeous."
"The quality of the ingredients, the order they go in, the heat control…"
Lisa murmured as if explaining a spell.
"It's all technique. Not so different from refining potions."
"No wonder witches like vegetable soup."
Half an hour later, Lisa held a spoon and tasted the soup with something close to bliss.
Each bite brought a different texture.
She chewed slowly, elegantly—
and her body trembled faintly, as if she couldn't help reacting.
"Mmm…"
"This is the best vegetable soup I've ever had."
Lisa finished, stretched slightly, then lazily folded onto the table—resting her head on her arms and looking at him with half-lidded eyes.
Soft.
Relaxed.
Like a cat.
It made people want to pick her up without thinking.
Kaito was satisfied with her reaction too.
At least his effort hadn't been wasted.
"So," he asked, "what was the 'real reason' you came?"
"Don't tell me you were just trying to stall until you're officially off duty," he said, skeptical, "so you can claim you never slacked."
Lisa glanced at the clock and sighed.
"Even after work, I still have to talk about troublesome work."
Kaito offered, "Then cut out the cooking and eating time."
"Pretend we jumped back to earlier—like it's still work hours."
Lisa thought about it.
Then nodded, satisfied.
"When you put it that way," she said, "it does feel better."
She sat up.
"A book that was checked out from the library is missing," she said.
"Then go to the borrower," Kaito replied, confused. "Why are you here?"
"The borrower said it was stolen," Lisa said, a dangerous thread of electricity flashing through her pale green eyes.
"But I left an elemental mark on the book."
"Then just retrieve it," Kaito said.
"Mmhmm." Lisa nodded, wearing a look that said: exactly.
Then she smiled.
"Kaito," she said sweetly, "come with me."
…
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